The 2026 WNBA preseason ran from Saturday, April 25 through Sunday, May 3. The league announced an 18-game exhibition slate that included all 15 clubs, two national teams, expansion-team debuts and games in several nontraditional markets.
Those games are over as of this update. This page is a historical guide to the 2026 preseason, not a live listing or a promise that archived streams remain available. Fans looking for current matchups should use the current 2026 WNBA schedule.
Last updated: July 27, 2026.
2026 WNBA preseason at a glance
| Milestone | 2026 detail |
|---|---|
| Leaguewide schedule announced | April 23 |
| Preseason window | April 25–May 3 |
| Games announced | 18 exhibitions |
| National ION broadcasts | Four |
| Final roster deadline | May 7 |
| Regular-season opening day | May 8 |
Individual teams had announced some exhibitions earlier in the spring, but the WNBA's complete leaguewide release arrived on April 23, only two days before the five-game opening slate.
The complete 2026 preseason slate by date
The table below groups the official 18-game schedule by day. It records the matchups and sites without presenting the exhibitions as current games or regular-season results.
| Date | Games |
|---|---|
| April 25 | Indiana at New York in Brooklyn; Nigeria vs. Los Angeles in San Diego; Chicago vs. Phoenix in Sioux Falls; Minnesota at Washington; Seattle at Golden State |
| April 26 | Japan at Las Vegas |
| April 27 | Nigeria vs. Minnesota in Kansas City |
| April 29 | Connecticut at Toronto; Atlanta at Chicago; Japan at Phoenix; Portland at Seattle |
| April 30 | Dallas at Indiana |
| May 1 | Toronto at Minnesota |
| May 2 | Nigeria at Indiana |
| May 3 | Washington at Atlanta; New York at Connecticut; Las Vegas vs. Dallas in Austin; Los Angeles at Portland |
Four games were assigned to ION: Indiana at New York on April 25, Dallas at Indiana on April 30, New York at Connecticut on May 3 and Las Vegas against Dallas in Austin on May 3. The other games were included in the league's preseason League Pass plan at the time.
Preseason listings can be easy to confuse with regular-season games because the same teams often met again days later. Dallas at Indiana on April 30, for example, served as a preview of their May 9 regular-season opener. Only the latter counted in the standings.
What made the 2026 preseason different
The schedule was more than a set of warmup games in standard home arenas. It mixed WNBA opponents with international teams, introduced two expansion clubs and brought league games to new or returning markets.
International opponents joined the slate
Nigeria's women's national team appeared three times: against Los Angeles in San Diego, Minnesota in Kansas City and Indiana in Indianapolis. Japan's national team played Las Vegas and Phoenix. Together, those five exhibitions gave WNBA teams different styles to prepare against while giving the visiting national teams high-level competition.
Those teams were opponents in exhibitions, not WNBA members. Their appearances should not be read as part of the league's conference schedule or regular-season standings.
Toronto and Portland made preseason debuts
The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire both played their first preseason games on April 29. Toronto hosted Connecticut at Coca-Cola Coliseum, while Portland visited Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena. Their debuts gave new coaching staffs and rosters an initial test before the two clubs joined the 15-team regular-season field.
Toronto later visited Minnesota on May 1. Portland closed its two-game preseason by hosting Los Angeles on May 3. These were short samples, so they were more useful for evaluating combinations than for projecting an entire expansion season.
Games reached new and returning markets
Phoenix and Chicago played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on April 25, an event the Mercury described as the first WNBA game played in South Dakota. Two days later, Minnesota faced Nigeria at T-Mobile Center as WNBA action returned to Kansas City for the first time since 2005.
Los Angeles also hosted Nigeria at San Diego State's Viejas Arena, marking the Sparks' first appearance in San Diego in more than a decade. Dallas and Las Vegas finished their preseason at the Moody Center in Austin. These neutral and alternate sites made the preseason a market-building opportunity as well as a basketball evaluation window.
What teams used preseason games to evaluate
Preseason results did not count toward regular-season records. The practical value was the chance to test rookies, new acquisitions, bench units, defensive schemes and lineup combinations before final roster decisions.
The league's own May 3 review focused on fit rather than wins and losses. It examined how new players worked in unfamiliar systems, whether rookies could handle specific assignments and which reserves might earn regular-season minutes. That is the right way to read a one- or two-game exhibition sample.
Teams also had different goals. A veteran contender might use limited minutes to restore timing, while an expansion team needed to establish basic chemistry. A club with several draft picks could prioritize evaluation over a polished closing lineup. None of those approaches made a preseason score meaningless, but they made it a weak stand-alone predictor of the season.
How the preseason led into opening day
The turnaround was extremely short. The final four exhibitions were played May 3. Teams then had to finalize their rosters by May 7, and the regular season began the next day. That left staffs only a few days to review film, make personnel decisions and prepare an opening-night game plan.
Three games launched the regular season on May 8. Connecticut visited New York, Washington visited expansion club Toronto, and Golden State visited Seattle. The May 8 opening-day schedule belongs to the regular-season record, unlike every matchup listed in the preseason table above.
For the larger timeline from May through September, see the site's 2026 season dates guide.
Where to find current WNBA games now
The April and May exhibition listings are no longer the right resource for live basketball. Use:
- WNBA games today for same-day matchups, start times and status.
- The full season schedule for upcoming games and team/date filters.
- The current WNBA TV schedule for national and listed viewing information.
During April 25–May 3, the league made its League Pass preseason games available in the WNBA App with a WNBA ID, subject to local blackouts. That promotional window has ended. This article does not claim that the games remain free or that every replay is currently available.
Frequently asked questions
When did the 2026 WNBA preseason start and end?
It began Saturday, April 25 and ended Sunday, May 3, 2026.
How many preseason games were scheduled?
The WNBA announced 18 games. The slate included 13 WNBA-versus-WNBA matchups and five exhibitions involving the Nigeria or Japan national teams.
Did preseason games count in the standings?
No. They were exhibitions used for preparation and roster evaluation. Regular-season records began with the May 8 games.
Were all 2026 preseason games free to watch?
The WNBA said all 18 preseason games carried on League Pass in the WNBA App were available free with a WNBA ID from April 25 through May 3, subject to local blackouts. That was a time-limited 2026 preseason offer and is no longer current.
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